Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Donald Trump Unleashes New Insults at Clinton; Hillary Clinton Calls Trump's Foreign Policy "Dangerous"; President Obama Dives into 2016 Fight; Warriors and Cavaliers Go Head to Head for NBA Title. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired June 02, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama diving into the 2016 fight, blasting the GOP, promising to campaign vigorously once someone clinches the Democratic nomination.
[05:00:06] All right. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you today. It is Thursday, June 2nd, 5:00 a.m. in the East.
Happening now, police in San Jose, California, on alert, preparing for the unexpected when Donald Trump holds a rally there tonight. Now, in the past Trump events, like this one in Albuquerque, Mexico, they've been hit with protests, fights, arrests. So, San Jose police, they've been holding tactical meetings to ready just in case.
Last night, in Sacramento, Trump went after Clinton, unleashing a barrage of new putdowns. This came after Clinton slammed Trump University and Trump himself, calling Trump a fraud.
CNN's Sara Murray traveling with the Trump campaign has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine.
On a day when Donald Trump took some harsh incoming fire, he fired right back. Hillary Clinton went after Trump for Trump University, calling him a fraud, he was trying to scam America. And here in Sacramento last night, Donald Trump opened his speech, unleashing a series of counter-punches against Hillary Clinton, calling her crooked Hillary and saying she was one of the worst secretaries of state in history.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's not qualified because she has bad judgment. Now, who said that? Bernie Sanders said that about Hillary. She's not qualified.
So, here are seven points that I marked down which I think are important. And they talk about Hillary and her incompetence. She is one of the worst secretaries of state in the history of our
country. Now she wants to be our president. Look, I'll be honest. She has no natural talent to be president. This is not a president. They talk about me. Actually, a lot of people think I look extremely presidential, if you want to know the truth.
But do you really believe Hillary is presidential? This is not presidential material.
MURRAY: That's Trump swiping Hillary Clinton over foreign policy comes as she prepares today to deliver what she and her campaign are billing as a major foreign policy address.
As for Donald Trump, he's back on the campaign trail once again in California today in San Jose.
Back to you, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Sara, thank you.
The major foreign policy speech Hillary Clinton is set to give today will focus extensively on Donald Trump. Senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan tells CNN Clinton will reel off what he calls dangerous policies that Trump backs. Nuclear Proliferation, war crimes, NATO and banning Muslims.
All this while Clinton is keeping her eye on Bernie Sanders in California, where they're neck and neck in the polls. Clinton flew to California last night following a rally in New Jersey. That's the other big state with a primary on Tuesday.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny was there. He's got the latest for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Hillary Clinton going after Donald Trump at some of the most pointed and personal ways yet, saying that he's committed a fraud and he's been scamming the American people all over that controversy at Trump University.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His own employees testified that Trump U -- you can't make this up -- that Trump U was a fraudulent scheme where Donald Trump enriched himself at the expense of hard working people.
ZELENY: Now, as Hillary Clinton focuses squarely on Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders is out in California trying to win over voters. Hillary Clinton is flying to California today as well. She realizes that it's a very tough race. A new poll shows it's dead-even. She's only slightly up by about two points.
Bernie Sanders took a bit of delight in that Wednesday as he campaigned there. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And
I'm shocked. You know why? Because you all told me the campaign was over. I wonder -- I wonder why Secretary Clinton and her husband Bill are back in California.
ZELENY: Now, Hillary Clinton does not need to win California, but she certainly would like to. It's the biggest delegate price of all, some 475 delegates next Tuesday. That's why she'll be spending the next five days there campaigning but also going after Donald Trump, including at this foreign policy address later today in San Diego, trying to present Donald Trump as unqualified and unfit for the presidency -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much.
Let's talk about all this right now. Joining us is CNN politics digital managing editor Zach Wolf.
Zach, thanks so much for being with us.
Interesting day shaping up in the presidential race right now. Hillary Clinton giving a speech in San Diego. Her aides saying this is a major foreign policy address. This really seems to be an address about Donald Trump and his foreign policy.
What do you expect to see and why are we hearing this today, just a few days before the Democratic primary in California?
ZACHARY WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: Well, I think Hillary Clinton has long wanted to pivot from Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump. She did that in the last couple weeks. She still has to fight off these fewer remaining states and the biggest delegate prize of all, California, happens.
[05:05:03] It's like you said, she can win or Jeff said she can win the nomination without winning California. That's not going to be a problem because she is close in the delegate race as long as you factor in those super delegates. She really wants to win California.
Now, you know, in some ways, I think it benefits her at this point to turn and look at Donald Trump to sort of make this case of the presidential thing. It's like it's time to move on, I think, she is trying to suggest.
ROMANS: I mean, she's going to call him dangerous. She's going to tick through a lot of different foreign policy comments that he has made. Comments if not policies that he has made over past months and try to paint him as a dangerous candidate for the presidency, everything from nuclear proliferation.
You know, he was even quoted in "The Hollywood Reporter" I think with that big piece this week, where he didn't seem to understand what Brexit was. You know, the issue about -- the U.K., you know, moving away from the E.U. How successful do you think she will be on this?
WOLF: Well, the other thing we need to think about is that foreign policy is the main place where she can distance herself from Bernie Sanders and place a contrast with Donald Trump. Foreign policy is not a place where Bernie Sanders has as much experience. So as she moves to look at Donald Trump, if she focuses on foreign policy and what its means to be presidential, on what this means for the world and the consequences, I think that allows her to sort of kill two birds with one stone in this case.
BERMAN: You know, it's interesting. When you talk about, you know, unfit to be president, unfit to lead. That is a message that President Obama is now starting to deliver whenever he can about Donald Trump, even if he doesn't mention Donald Trump by name. It's not just on foreign policy issues. It is domestic as well.
The president gave a speech in Elkhart, Indiana yesterday. I want to play a little bit of sound of it. See if you can guess who the president is talking about here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When somebody says like the person you just mentioned who I will not advertise for, that he's going to bring all these jobs back. Well, how exactly are you going to do that? What are you going to do? There's no answer to it.
He just says, well, I'm going to negotiate a better deal. How exactly are you going to negotiate that? What magic wand do you have? And usually the answer is he doesn't have an answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Now, President Obama cannot run for the office again, Zach. You get the sense he is eager to run against Donald Trump however he can.
WOLF: Yes, and he has been sort of kept behind the scenes for a little while, I think, as they sort out who's going to be the Democratic nominee. They want to keep him and have him ready to go when it really counts as we get through the summer and into November.
But it's pretty clear that while the man does not want to use the words "Donald" and "Trump", he really wants to talk about Donald Trump.
ROMANS: Can I ask you a little bit about this Trump University? All this new information we have from this lawsuit from Trump University, there's a lot of material there. I have been going over what some of the former students have been saying about high pressure sales tactics, about, you know, learning how to use maxing out credit cards, if they have little income or even homeless to try to pay for the Trump University.
Hillary Clinton yesterday tweeting, "The gist, Trump's for profit University deceived and exploited students to take their money. And he has the gall to call the media sleazy. The Trump University con says a lot about Trump. If you can't trust him with your personal finances, how can we trust him with our country?"
Do you think supporters who see his business acumen or what they think is his business acumen is a reason to vote for him? Do you think the Trump University thing is changing their minds?
WOLF: I don't think for die hard Trump supporters, it's going to change their minds. But I think for the middle of the American electorate, the people who might just now be coming to this, the people who -- you know, if there are people out there who don't have a strong impression of Donald Trump, this is really important for them. The people who, you know, might not like Hillary Clinton, but might not like Donald Trump as you're trying to sway those folks. That's where this is really important.
BERMAN: You know, it's interesting to see, though. This was yet again an attack that was used against Donald Trump in the primaries that did not work. Republican candidates, they did this. They did ads on this and it did not seem to stick. Mitt Romney talked about this. It did not seem to stick. It will be interesting to see if it is different now.
Zach Wolf, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We'll see you again in just a little bit.
ROMANS: Oh, we will. Thanks, Zach.
Time for an early start on your money this morning. Uber just scored its single largest investment and it's not from a famous billionaire or a Fortune 500. It's from Saudi Arabia. The public investment fund there parking $3.5 billion in Uber. Uber valued at $62.5 billion. That means it's the most valuable startup in the world.
The managing director of the Saudi fund will join Uber's board. The company has been operating in Saudi Arabia since 2014. It says 80 percent of its customers there are women.
[05:10:00] Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. The deal makes since for both sides. Uber is investing heavily in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is looking for more sources of income due to low oil prices.
Every time I say that, women not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, it always catches my attention.
New information this morning on the murder/suicide that created panic and chaos on the UCLA campus. What we're learning about the crime and victim, we've got that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: This morning, the UCLA professor who was killed in a murder/suicide on Wednesday is being remembered as a brilliant scholar and a caring teacher. Thirty-nine-year-old William Klug, a bio mechanics professor, Little League coach and father of two, he'll be remembered tonight at a candlelight vigil. The man who killed him left a note behind. But police have not released his identity or motive.
We get more this morning from CNN's Stephanie Elam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and John, a couple of tense hours here on the campus of UCLA as police were searching for an active shooter.
[05:15:01] Students taking refuge inside of classrooms, inside of buildings and staying in their dorm rooms, awaiting word for the all clear. That didn't come around until noon or so.
But at that point, police saying that they believe it was a murder/suicide that took place in a small office in the engineering four building. They said that they were being abundantly cautious and going to the buildings and making sure that there was no other shooter who was involved in this event.
But they do say that at this point, they believe it was just involving these two adult men who were found dead in that office.
And classes are expected to resume here today which is noteworthy as they are heading into finals here at UCLA and graduation is scheduled for Friday -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Stephanie Elam, thank you.
The mother of the 3-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo, she made a frantic call to 911 just moments after making the terrifying discovery. That audio recording has now been released. You can hear the mother calmly trying to keep her son from panicking before getting very upset when the 450-pound gorilla Harambe starts violently dragging her child.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOTHER: Hi. My son fell in the zoo exhibit at the gorillas. The Cincinnati Zoo, my son fell in with the gorilla. There's a male gorilla standing over him. I need someone to contact the zoo, please.
DISPATCHER: OK, we do already have that started -- we do already have started there, OK?
MOTHER: OK -- be calm. Be calm. Be calm.
DISPATCHER: How old --
MOTHER: Be calm! He's grabbing my son. I can't watch this. I can't, I can't, OK, I can't watch this.
DISPATCHER: How old is your son?
MOTHER: Mommy's right here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Cincinnati police have wrapped up their investigation. Prosecutors will review the findings and announce a final determination as soon as Friday on whether or not the boy's mother might face charges.
ROMANS: And he's just another follow-up doctor appointment, by the way. And he is doing fine.
BERMAN: Good.
ROMANS: Six New York City concerts have been postponed by promoter Live Nation in the wake of a deadly shooting in the Manhattan nightclub last week. Three rap concerts scheduled for the Irving Plaza Club this week have been called off now after one person was killed and three others injured there. Three other shows at the Gramercy Theater also have been pulled by Live Nation which says it's meeting with New York City police to develop a new security plan for its shows.
BERMAN: Severe flooding has prompted the governor of Texas to declare a state of disaster across dozens of counties. This is Lubbock, Texas, right now. You can see the rescue crews there. There's inflatable rafts to get the people stuck in the waist-deep water there.
In Houston, you can see the neighborhoods there completely submerged. A flood warning is in effect until Saturday. Evacuations are also underway in the city of spring. Authorities have had to rescue hundreds of people. One man there says the situation is dire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is real serious. Do not play with this. You see what we're going through. Thank the Lord for good friends and family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. More rain, more flooding ahead for Texas. Let's get right to meteorologist Allison Chinchar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Texas is going to get more of exactly what it does not need, and that is rainfall. Take a look at the water vapor satellite. Again, you can see all of this moist air that's sitting directly over Texas.
We have a low pressure system that as it shifts towards the east is going to pull in all of that very warm, moist air, providing the necessary ingredients for more rain, again, which is the last thing they need. Because of it, we have flood watches, flood warnings and even flash flood warnings in effect for the next several days in some spots, especially due to the delayed effect for the rivers, creeks and streams.
Look at the amounts. Some -- a lot of these areas, widespread, about an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain. Some spots could pick up another four to six inches of rain. Again, this is on top of all of the rain that they already had. More rain along the Southeast and stretching up towards the Mid-Atlantic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right, Allison. Thanks so much.
Next time you call a ride sharing service, take a close look at the driver's face or the fact that he is 7'3". The future hall of famer could be behind the wheel. Coy Wire with this morning's bleacher report. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:23:36] BERMAN: For the second straight season, the Cavaliers will face the Warriors in the NBA Finals and try to bring that elusive championship, like any at all ever to Cleveland.
ROMANS: They're going to have to get past Golden State.
Coy Wire has more of this morning's bleacher report. Hey, Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and John.
The defending champs are 6 of 7 all time when the same two teams have met in the finals the consecutive year. So, could this be the year for Cleveland? They have not won a professional championship for 52 years.
They fell just shy last year. But remember, LeBron's squad wasn't at full strength in the finals. No Kevin Love, they lost Kyrie Irving in game one. But this year, they are full throttle.
But so are those Warriors. They set the NBA's all time regular season wins record. But what would it all matter if they were to be defeated by the Cavs in the Finals? After all, the ring is the thing.
It's going to be two of the sports biggest and brightest stars going toe-to-toe in the finals. LeBron's six straight appearance. He's won two of them. Curry has one. LeBron James has four MVP awards. Curry has now got two in a row.
But this (INAUDIBLE), Curry makes just one quarter of that LeBron nation makes in endorsement dollars. He has some years to make up for that, though.
NHL Stanley Cup finals, Penguins hosting Sharks, game two overtime. And Sidney Crosby wins the face off, tip, Conor Sheary's has (INAUDIBLE) that game. Crosby has 17 of 24 face-offs in this game. [05:25:01] The captain came through clutch. But how about the 23-
year-old rookie, Conor Sheary? Brought up from the team's AHL affiliate midway through the season, now with two goals in his first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. Penguins take a 2-0 series lead. Game three is Saturday in San Jose.
This just in: 7'3", 340 pound NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is on the loose, posing as a driver and preying on unsuspecting Lyft customers. He's got a plethora of costumes and aliases. We have a video surveillance team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't get out of the car.
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, NBA LEGEND: Are you not entertainment? Do you not recognize what I have done as Laker?
Rolling on Lyft on my roster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's terrible.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: I think my favorite was Pierre from France. Shaq poses all characters. I tweeted out the full video. You got to check it out. It's must see.
BERMAN: Largest man ever to wear a beret, right there. Shaquille O'Neal. Right there.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Coy.
WIRE: You're welcome.
BERMAN: I'm just confused more than anything. That was awesome. Coy, thanks so much.
WIRE: You're welcome.
BERMAN: All right. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, they are in full battle mode, unleashing new attacks. And there's another big one coming later today. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
